We knew everything: Trump backs Israel’s Iran strikes, says ‘we gave them 60 days’

Trump confirmed that a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials is still technically scheduled for Sunday in Oman.

Despite months of pressing Israel to hold off on striking Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that he and his administration were fully aware the attacks were imminent, and still believe a nuclear accord with Tehran is possible.

In a phone interview with Reuters on Friday, Trump revealed that his team had anticipated Israel’s air raids and made efforts to prevent them, even as he praised the strikes as “excellent” and “very successful.”

“We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,” Trump told Reuters. “I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out… They can still work out a deal, however, it’s not too late.”

The president’s remarks mark a striking contrast between his previous efforts to delay military action and his post-strike approval of Israel’s offensive. Trump had long urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wait, hoping that diplomacy could prevail, even as he publicly warned of bombing Iran if nuclear negotiations collapsed.

The Israeli raids earlier this week targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories, and senior military commanders. Iran has since vowed retaliation, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

Yet, Trump appeared unshaken. When asked if the United States would back Israel in the event of Iranian counterstrikes, he said, “We’ve been very close to Israel. We’re their number one ally by far… We’ll see what happens.”

Later on Friday, two U.S. officials told Reuters that American forces assisted in intercepting Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, a move seen as a clear signal of U.S. support.

Nuclear talks on the brink

While the military exchange intensifies, the future of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations hangs in the balance. A sixth round of talks, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, now appears uncertain.

Trump told Reuters that the window he had given Tehran to reach an agreement, 60 days, had expired without progress.

“We knew just about everything,” Trump said. “We knew enough that we gave Iran 60 days to make a deal and today is 61, right? So, you know, we knew everything.”

Trump’s core demand throughout the negotiations has been for Iran to halt uranium enrichment, a point Tehran has resisted, making a deal elusive.

As recently as Thursday, before Israel’s strikes, Trump hinted that military action might be imminent.

“I don’t want to say it’s imminent, but it looks like something that could very well happen. Look, it’s very simple, not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he told reporters.

Now, he says it’s unclear whether Iran even retains a nuclear program following the Israeli assault. “Nobody knows. It was a very devastating hit,” he said.

'The talks are not dead'

Despite the escalation, Trump confirmed that a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials is still technically scheduled for Sunday in Oman.

“They’re not dead,” Trump said of the negotiations. “We have a meeting with them on Sunday. Now, I’m not sure if that meeting will take place, but we have a meeting with them on Sunday.”

The president also revealed that he convened top national security advisers at Camp David earlier in the week to discuss Iran, and spoke with Netanyahu on both Monday and Friday. A White House official confirmed the conversations and said Trump had also held talks in the Situation Room with the National Security Council following the Israeli strikes, though no further details were provided.